High school cast at Newbury Park looks professional in 'West Side Story'
Play review
By Cary Ginell soundthink@aol.com

More drama than the cast had bargained for played out on the final evening of the Newbury Park High School Theatre Department's run of "West Side Story" last Friday.

Putting on the classic hit Broadway musical was daunting enough, but the prospect of doing so without their stalwart music director John Sargent must have been discouraging, to say the least. Sargent, known as "Sarge" to just about everyone at the school, had come down with an attack of peritonitis earlier that day and had checked himself into the hospital.

But in the grand tradition of "the show must go on," Sargent was there for the downbeat and made it through the entire performance, which turned out to be another in a growing list of superb stagings by the company.

"West Side Story" is one of Broadway's most honored musicals. An updated urban version of "Romeo and Juliet," it was conceived, directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins.

The show was also notable for its composers. Leonard Bernstein wrote the magnificent score, with lyrics penned by a young 27-year-old writer named Stephen Sondheim, his first credit in a Broadway musical. (Bernstein and Sondheim's credits were inexplicably left off the printed program.)

"West Side Story" has also proved to be an extremely difficult show to put on. The dancing is tense, complex and vibrant. Bernstein's score is full of quirky rhythms and odd meters; the cynical but witty "America" is in 5/4 time, not a time signature that is easy to dance to. The bravura performance of the Newbury Park players, however, not only did justice to the show, but was so accomplished that if you didn't know these were high school studentsyou'd swear this was a professional unit. As the two leads, DanieRosales (Tony) and Jessica Stol(Maria) showed charm and charisma in addition to having splendid voices. The magic spark of their first meeting- seeing each other across the high school dance floor- was like a laser beam of mutual attraction. Rosales possesses a sweethigh tenor, and although his spoken lines could have been taken a tad slower, his solos on "Something's Coming" and "Maria" were masterful. Stolwas radiant as the coquettish and innocent Puerto Rican immigrant Maria, who becomes hardened after Tony's tragic death.

But the excellence of the cast didn't stop with them. From top to bottom, right down to the smallest ensemble role, everybody played their parts admirably. In the role of the sassy firebrand Anita, made famous by Chita Rivera, Katie Young stole every scene she was in. Other standouts included Cameron Benton, whose gang leader Riff had a beefy grace; David Case, all kinetic energy in the role of Action; and Ryan Spindel, who had some sweetly funny moments as the young would-be hoodlum, Babyjohn.

The best scenes belonged to the Jets, the white street gang led by Riff. In "Jet Song" and "Cool," the ensemble not only showed their dancing ability, but exhibited superb timing in the intricate and fast-paced dialogue and bits of business, even producing a Harlem Globetrotterslike basketball session during the fingersnapping opening sequence, with nary a turnover. They also made you believe that in their own violent way, they cared about each other.

The Jets' rivals, the Puerto Rican gang known as the Sharks, were led by Bernardo, effectively portrayed by Lucas Urgoiti.

After the obligatory curtain calls and bows, Rosales honored John Sargent for his leadership, speaking for his fellow cast members about how close they all felt toward him not only as a teacher, but as a friend. Rosales and some of the other performers in the show will be graduating next month and moving on to college.

There were tears among some of the cast as Sargent climbed on stage for a standing ovation.

Despite the real-life drama that went on that evening, "West Side Story" was a triumph, one that many of the young actors will not soon forget.